Process of polishing metal bodies.



H. W. SPELLMAN.

I PROCESS OF POLISHING METAL BODIES.

APPLICATION mm MAY 21. ms.

1 178,828. Patented Apr. 11,1916.

2 SHEETS-SIIEET I- mmuulT-III Hillllllll I H. W. SPELLMA,N.- PROCESS OFPOLISHING METAL BODIES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 21. 1915.

Patented Apr. 11, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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HERBERT W. SP1i,LILlMllAItT, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT.

PROCESS OF POLISHTNG METAL BODIES.

Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inProcesses of- Polishing Metal Bodies, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a new process of polishing metal bodies, beingparticularly adapted for polishing the surface of cutlery and othersteel bodies.

At the present time, and prior to my invention, in producing a highlyfinished surface upon metallic articles, and especially upon cutlery,crocus has been employed to produce what is known as a crocus finish,the article being subjected to the action of a wheel treated withcrocus. Thepreparation of the wheel requires much skill and patience,and is at the best extremely slow, as

is also the polishing operation, and the obftainlng of a crocus finishupon articles is therefore very expensive.

paratus in its preferred The object of my invention is to produce a.process whereby little skill is required and the crocus finish may beimparted to articles in a comparatively inexpensive manner, such processbeing practised by the use of an apparatus illustrated in the drawingsherein.-

The following is a description of a process embodying my invention andof an apparatus whereby the process may be carried out, I the apparatusbeing 35.

illustrated in the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure 1 shows aside elevation of the apform, part being broken away. Fig. 2 is an endelevation of i the' same with a portion shown in section.

" Fig.

2 extending from each side.

3 is a side elevation of the rotating spider with some of the armsremoved. Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the same. Figs. '5, 6 and 7 aredetails of the arm supports, and Figs. 8 and 9 are side and plan viewsof the arms. Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 is a drum orcasing having trunnions This drum is formed in two parts, 3, 3', thelatter of which has a gear 4 cast thereon. The trunnions of the drum aremounted in journals 5 carried by supports 6. It is provided with amanhole and cover 7 secured thereto by thumb-nuts 8.

9 is a shaft mounted in suitable journals having a driving pulley 10 anda Pinion 11 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 11, 1916.

Application filed May 21, 1915. Serial No. 29,538.

which engages the gear 4 for slowly drivmg the. drum. Within the drum isa spider mounted on the shaft 13, which is carrled by journals 14 alsosupported by the supports '6. These journals support the shaft 13 sothat it is carried independently of the trunnions 2 of the spider andare separated from the bearings 5 so as to leave 1 spaces between them.In these spaces are rlngs 15 secured to the shaft 13 by set "screws 15..so as to centerthe spider within the drum. The result of thus supportingthe drum and spider by independent means is that the two moving parts 1and 13 do not grind upon each other, and any polish- 1ng material whichworks out from the drum through the trunnions does not materially cut orabrade either the exterior of the shaft or the interior surface ofthetrunnion. On

the shaft 13 is a pulley 16 which is driven by a belt 17 from the pulley18 on the counter-shaft 19. From a second pulley 20 on the shaft 19' abelt 20' alsopasses to the pulley 10 on the gear-shaft 9. The parts areso arranged that when the counter-shaft 19 is slowly driven the spiderand drum are also slowly driven and in opposite directions. The drum ispreferably made about forty inches in internal diameter. The

spider 12 is provided with lateral projections 21 and pivotallysupported on them are carriers 22, 22, each of which is provided with anadjustingarm 23 and a set tially at right angles to the arms. The drum 1is about one-quarter filled with pulverulent polishing compound 30. I

In carrying out y process in its preferred form this compound iscomposed of crocus, a hard abrading substance such as granulated corkused for packing grapes.

The cork "is useful when the compound 1s at all moist since it keeps itfrom packing.

c The hard abrading substance; acts as an en finely dividedcarborundun'i'ior emery and,

in someinst'ance's, cork crumbs, such as the livener for the crocus andproduces more rapid polishing action Without materially preventing thedesired high polish. I preferably use a little more carborundum oremery, by weight, than crocus.

In carrying out my process the articles to be polished are secured tothe arms 27 on the spider and the spider and drum are then slowlyrotated in opposite directions. This gives the steel the desired finishwhen the process is otherwise properly carried out. In order to preventgrooving or scoring of the surface being polished I change the angularpositions of the axes of the articles relative to their paths throughthe compound from time to time by adjusting the carriers 22, 22'. Thus Ipreferably change the positions once every twenty-four hours. A completepolishing may require four or five days of twenty-four hours each and insome instances six or seven such days, depending on the originalcondition of the surfaces. A period of forty-eight hours may bepermitted to elapse before the first change in position. The rotation ofthe drum keeps the ingredients of the compound thoroughly mixed andprevents it from packing, it being continually turned over as theapparatus operates. With flat articles such as knives therelative motionis always in the same direction,,point first, and the faces are kept inplanes at right angles to the axis of revolution. With forks thedirection of rotation is reversed from time to time so as to polish therear surfaces.

When the process. is carried out as above described the metal surface.takes on a remarkable mirror-like polish, such as has heretofore beenattained only by hand polishing. The apparatus shown and described 1sshown and described in a companion application to be filed by me on thesame day herewith.

As will be evident to those skilled in the art, my invention permits ofvarious modifications without departing fromthe spirit thereof or thescope of the appended claims.

What I claim is: i

1. The process of polishing an article which consists in surrounding itwith a mass of pulverulent polishing material, producingrelative'movement between said article and said material so that saidarticle slowly moves relatively along a definite path through saidmaterial, and from time to time changing the angle between the axis ofsaid article and the axis of the path formed therebv through saidmaterial.

2. The-"process of. polishing an article which consists in surroundingit with a mass of pulverulent polishing material comprising crocus andan enlivening material, producing relative movement between said arti-'of pulverulent polishing material, producing relative movement ofrotation between said article and said material so that saidarticleslowly moves relatively along a definite path through saidmaterial, and from time to time changing the angle between the axis ofsaid article and the axis of the path formed thereby through saidmaterial, the

faces of said article being kept at right a'ngles to its axis ofrevolution.

4. The process of polishing a flat article, which consists in rotatingit about an axis while surounded by polishing material, holding itmeanwhile so that its major axis describes a plane parallel to the sidesof said article and is at an angleto a radius of the circle described bysuch rotation, and from time to time changing the angular position ofsaid major axis within said plane.

5. The process of polishing an article which consists in surrounding itwith a mass of pulverulent polishing. material, producing relativemovement between said article and said material so that said articleslowly moves relatively along a definite path throughsaid material, andfrom time to time changing the angle between the axis of said articleand. the axis of the path formed thereby through, said material, thechanges in position being at the ends of periods covering several hours.

6. The process of. polishing an article which consists in surrounding itwith a mass of pulverulent polishing material, producing relativemovement between said article an axis while surrounded by polishingmate- I rial and from time to time changing the position of its axisrelative tothe'axis of the path described by it, said article beingsupported by its .rear end with its axis kept pointing in the directionof its movement. HERBERT W. SPELLMAN.

'Witnesses:

ROBERT K. HITcHENs, FRANK T. PUNnERsoN.

